We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sarah Mischker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I had always loved painting and drawing but had been too shy to openly and actively pursue it in school. I worried about what people would think and I never liked to have attention on me being a shy and easily embarrassed young girl. I excelled academically but I didn’t have any passion for math, science or literature. So when the time came to make a decision on my future, I decided to go into teaching. I felt that would give me the opportunity to explore various topics and potentially find something I really liked. I also loved the idea of being in a classroom all the time because I loved learning. I felt like sitting behind a desk in a school would suit me better than a desk in an office. My dad worked as a corporate lawyer his entire adult life, he’s retired now. I could see the drain corporate life had on a person, he loved to be home with us but he was gone a lot for work. I knew that I didn’t want that.

Orientation day came for my freshman year at university. The campus was so alive, there were people everywhere and everyone was so excited to be there. I felt excited being around them even though I didn’t feel sure of what I was doing. We sat and listened to the presentation, there were thousands of us just starting our lives as college students. I grew up in a small town with around one hundred people in my graduating class so being surrounded by thousands felt exhilarating to me. I knew it didn’t matter to anyone what I chose to do, no one would talk about me, no one would care at all! It was a delicious thought.

The presentation was long and boring but eventually we split into our colleges for tours and more information on our specific majors. As I was there, hearing about the classes and requirements, I could see the art majors across the way. They were in the same college as the education majors. Seeing them excited about their classes and their degrees, something in me clicked into place. I had to change majors, I belonged over there with them.

I told my mom I wanted to change majors, I wanted to be an artist. She could have made me stick with education, she could have made me think about it more. But she didn’t. She said okay and helped me find someone who knew what to do next. I changed my major right then and there and joined their orientation.

My mom somehow knew that I wanted to be an artist. She always supported me in whatever I wanted to do and gave me the chance to decide for myself. As the years went by, my skills refined, my artistic visions came to life, and all the while, my mom is still my number one fan. She collects as many of my works as she can and she tells me that this is who I am and who I was always meant to be. She would say when I first started out, “You are so talented Sarah, you have to continue, this is your calling in life.”

And so I did.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I am a small studio artist living and working on Wadawurrung Land (known as Ballarat) in Victoria, Australia. Drawing on memory and storytelling, I strive to activate personal reflection and create a feeling of wonderment when encountering my work. I mainly work with ceramics and painting but also enjoy printmaking, drawing and installation work.

Being a fantasy bookworm from a young age, I have always loved the escape that fairytales and folklore provide as well as the gorgeous scenery and worlds contained within. As a little girl, I would watch the flowers and trees, hoping to find a fairy. I would sit outside at night and speak with the moon, believing she could hear me.

While I lost some of the magic I held as a child, I still try to see the world in this way. Finding the beauty and magic that exists in nature, in our cultures and in the craziness that is the human experience; I am always aiming to capture these experiences in my creations. I balance this love of the fantastical with a love for our natural world and our experiences as humans. It’s this intersection in which you can find my artwork.

And while I like to make things beautiful in my work, my aim is not to create beauty but to showcase beauty that exists. The beauty in the lovely curves and dimples of the female body, the beauty in sadness and loss, the beauty in moving through grief and the beauty in landscapes, ancient and alive. There is so much beauty in life and it’s these simple, complex and wild things that I hope to show to the world.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

From my own experiences in both the US and Australia, a universal income or at the very least, an income for artists would be an amazing support to all creatives. It can be extremely hard to make a start at being an artist. Oftentimes, you will have to work multiple jobs or full time to support yourself. After you have basic survival taken care of, then you can start to focus on creating and pursuing your passions. However, this usually comes after you have spent most of your time and energy working. The part of yourself that you want to be at the forefront of your life is forced to become a side hustle or hobby.

I understand that our society functions off of this need for people to work to get what they need to then continue working so that they can continue getting what they need. This seems to work for some people and I understand that, but it doesn’t work for everyone. As someone who has worked the 9 to 5 behind a desk so that I can continue my passions and continue to live with comfort and love, it is downright depressing. It just doesn’t sit well with me. Not because I don’t want to contribute to society (I definitely do!) but because I can’t help but feel I was made to live differently, more connected to the land and seasons. This just doesn’t work when you have to spend all day under fluorescent lights.

A basic income for artists (like what Ireland has done!) is a proven concept that not only supports artists but supports local economies and communities. When people are able to choose happiness over survival, that happiness will ripple out.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I would say there are plenty of resources that I treasure and enjoy using but I have to rephrase this question for myself. I don’t have any regrets in my life, there is nothing I wish I knew about earlier.

With that said, here are some resources (& tips!) I would love to share:

For aspiring painters out there: you can still make great art with the cheap materials. Mont Marte and Jasart are great for affordable paints and brushes. Jasart also makes fantastic floating frames if you want to elevate your finished piece with a frame. You can find Mont Marte in most dollar stores and craft retailers. I also recommend buying the generic pack of brushes and then buying specific brushes once you have a better idea of what is needed. For me this meant purchasing some ultra-fine point brushes so I could better paint tiny details. I bought the expensive tiny brushes and I also use the cheap brushes, both are perfect for me.

For my new clay besties: midfire and stoneware is perfect if you want to create highly functional items for everyday use but it isn’t the be all and end all of ceramics. There are many different types of clay and firing tiers. I love earthenware because my colours come out highly saturated. I like to create decorative and sculptural functional items so even though they can’t be thrown in a dishwasher, they can still be used regularly if cared for. Experiment and find what suits your style best! There are a lot of opinions out there but yours matters the most for you.

I am an enjoyer of open-source software for editing and digital illustration. I use Krita for digital illustrations and GIMP for photo editing, both I believe are fantastic for light use.

Canva is fantastic for creating nice promotional images for your events. If you give something you’re doing a brand identity (whether it’s a market, workshop, exhibition, live demonstration, whatever it is!) it will instantly look professional. Creating your own promotional image with the details of the event will make it memorable to those who see it and it will be highly shareable. Some events may have rules about how their event is promoted but generally, if you create a little image that focuses on what you are doing and not what the event is doing, it will be okay! For example, on a picture of your gorgeous plates and mugs, you can put something like “Find these cuties at the Farmers Market!” then put the details of the event on the image at the bottom.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thebloomingcat.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebloomingcat
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebloomingcat

Image Credits

Sarah Mischker